Astronomy August.2011

The 2012 box set Original Album Classics rounds up the five albums BOC released between 1975 and 1983: On Your Feet or on Your Knees, Some Enchanted Evening, Cultosaurus Erectus, Fire of Unknown Origin, and Revölution by Night. Every one of these CDs is packaged as a mini-LP in a paper sleeve, making this a handsome, affordable way to get the prime of Blue Öyster Cult in one fell swoop.

Tribute albums are always a hit and miss affair. Sadly this latest Pink Floyd tribute album falls mostly in the miss area.The majority of the songs on offer are little more than low quality carbon copies of the originals with little to no creative interpretations added.

Blue Oyster Cult - The Columbia Albums Collection brings together the group's 14 official Columbia Records albums–including newly-mastered editions of On Your Feet or on Your Knees, Fire of Unknown Origin, The Revolution by Night, Mirrors, Cultosaurus Erectus, Extraterrestrial Live, Club Ninja and Imaginos–alongside two newly-curated bonus discs: Rarities and Radios Appear: The Best of the Broadcasts (a special collection of classic live performances).

PINK FLOYD "JOURNEY THROUGH TIME & SPACE VOL 1" 12CD and DVD limited edition of 600 individually numbered copies, original issue factory press silver in heavy duty color glossy hardcover box w/28-pg booklet. Comprehensive compilation of Floyd material including: Wolverhampton Mar 18, 1967 / Outer Zabriskie Nov & Dec 1969 / Various rare live from 1966 to 1974 / Lund, Sweden, Mar 20, 1970 / San Diego Oct 17, 1971 / Philadelphia Mar 15, 1973 / NY Artc Center June 17, 1973 / Nassau, NY June 17, 1975 plus DVD. See images for details. Individually numbered limited edition of 600…beautifully put together and great one-stop shopping for this material.

Pink Floyd claim they had no intention of recording another live album when they began the Division Bell tour, but performing The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety convinced the group to release another double-live set, called Pulse. There's no question that the group is comprised of talented musicians, including the number of studio professionals that augmented the trio on tour. Whether they're inspired musicians is up to debate. A large part of Pink Floyd's live show is based on the always impressive visuals; on the Division Bell tour, they closed each show with an unprecedented laser extravaganza. In order for the visuals and the music to coincide, the group needed to play the sets as tightly as possible, with little improvisation. Consequently, an audio version of this concert, separated from the visuals, is disappointing. Pink Floyd play the greatest hits and the new songs professionally, yet the versions differ only slightly from the original recordings, making Pulse a tepid experience.

EMI Records managed to miss marking the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's album, but they just about made up for it with this triple-CD set, packaged in a handsome hardcover book format. It offers fans of the early Pink Floyd a chance to do something for the first time in the CD era (and for the first time since the year 1967) - immerse themselves, up to the neck at least (if not quite to the top of the head) in the Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd sound. EMI pulled out all the stops with this triple-disc set commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd's debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, containing the stereo and mono mixes of the album on two separate digital platters, and augmenting them with a bonus CD containing the band's three early singles, plus two previously unreleased alternate takes (an "alternative version" of "Matilda Mother" and "Take 6" of "Interstellar Overdrive")…

Pink Floyd claim they had no intention of recording another live album when they began the Division Bell tour, but performing The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety convinced the group to release another double-live set, called Pulse. There's no question that the group is comprised of talented musicians, including the number of studio professionals that augmented the trio on tour. Whether they're inspired musicians is up to debate. A large part of Pink Floyd's live show is based on the always impressive visuals; on the Division Bell tour, they closed each show with an unprecedented laser extravaganza. In order for the visuals and the music to coincide, the group needed to play the sets as tightly as possible, with little improvisation. Consequently, an audio version of this concert, separated from the visuals, is disappointing. Pink Floyd play the greatest hits and the new songs professionally, yet the versions differ only slightly from the original recordings, making Pulse a tepid experience.